MOUNDSVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) -Six substitute employees of Marshall County Schools are suing Workforce West Virginia, according to WTRF-TV in Wheeling.
According to the plaintiffs’ attorney, Teresa Toriseva of Wheeling, the substitute teachers, aides and cooks filed for and received unemployment compensation when the 2019-20 school year suddenly ended due to the Covid pandemic.
After the payments were received, Workforce West Virginia demanded they repay the money.
Toriseva says Governor Jim Justice signed an executive order barring the funds from being taken back.
“We’re asking a Kanawha County judge to stop Workforce West Virginia from attaching funds and money and wages of these employees in an effort to claw back unemployment compensation benefits that they received during the COVID 19 pandemic,” Toriseva said of the filing in Kanawha Circuit Court. “That specifically violates the governor’s order that no clawback occur.
The attorney says the six suffered job and wage loss during the pandemic and were never sure when they might return to work.
Toriseva said the benefits they received were specifically designed for their type of situation.
She told the TV station that she believes others will come forward around the state with the same complaint.